"Young Hungry and Exasperated" - The Business of Furniture 1/27/16 - Stephen Says



Note: Thank you for your overwhelming response to the Stephen Says column. We're getting a large number of questions from employees at Architectural & Design Firms, salespeople at dealers and manufacturers, and even HR people.

We're doing our best to answer as many questions as we can, so please be patient for your answers, and thank you for your many, many questions! - Stephen
 

Dear Stephen,

Young, Hungry, and Exasperated:

Low-level designer working at a big firm architectural firm in the interiors department. I started the job around seven months ago, and, for the most part, I love it—great co-workers, interesting clients and jobs, yada yada. The only frustrating part has been the time management of the higher-level associates and partners and specifically how this affects me. I'm an efficient worker and often finish assignments before those who assign me the work anticipate. I know that this is a good thing and that my bosses appreciate this quality in me. The problem is that once I turn in my work, there is often hours of radio silence, during which time I'm left with nothing to do, and then right before I'm planning to leave for the day, I'll get comments and have to stay late into the night implementing the changes. It's seems like it's the culture of the company to work long hours, when really the work can be done faster. It's not even about working smarter over longer, like I said, I think it is just the culture. In other words, you are not working hard unless you drag out your work until after 5 PM. I want to raise the point with the associates and partners, or even figure out how to write an email explaining how I got things done by 5 PM or even 7 PM, but I don't want them to think I'm uncommitted or lack a strong work ethic. Is it worth jeopardizing how my bosses see me or should I just suck it up?
 

Stephen:

First of all, you sound like a great employee—just the type of person that firms are constantly looking to bring in—so well done and keep it up! To your point, being at the bottom of the totem-pole can be a frustrating. And here's the truth: chances are those senior associates and partners who are assigning you this work aren't particularly concerned with making you wait around or change your social plans. In the immortal words of Don Draper, that's what the money is for. These women and men were undoubtedly once in your position (because you are the type of employee who makes their way to the top) and expect you to take the lumps and deal with some of the irritating parts of the job with grace. That being said, it sounds like you have a fairly good relationship with some of these bosses, and perhaps a carefully worded email when you next get a late-day assignment asking if you can turn the work by midday the next day would be appropriate, sent, of course, with the understanding that if they request the work ASAP you'll be eating dinner in the office. Either way, when you are one day the head of a design firm, I hope you remember this feeling and treat your employees how you wished you had been treated now.
 

Heading Back for More

I left my job at a contract manufacturer about three years ago to work a sales job at dealer. The dealer talked me into it, offered me a lot more money and I couldn't help myself. Now I hate it, and I'm thinking of trying to go back to the manufacturer. I have been called more than once by manufacturers to encourage me to apply to positions, both as a sales rep and even a regional manager. Now I have the experience of first working at a manufacture and now a dealer, so I have both worlds. I know I can leave on good terms with this dealer, especially because I may be able to help them if I am back at a manufacture. My son told me I was boomeranging? What does that even mean. Is this very common? Does it say something bad about me? Do you think I can pull it off?
 

Stephen:

You're in good company! Boomeranging is quite common and only becoming more so. A study that was published in early September by the consultancy group WorkplaceTrends.com and the Workforce Intstitute at Kronos found the 15% of all employees end up going back to companies that they've previously worked for, and that the HR departments hire back employees in about 60% of the cases when they apply for jobs at their old companies. This applies to people at A&D firms, dealers, and manufacturers. And your son is right; we call these employees "Boomerang" workers and they're becoming a larger and larger part of the workforce. It sounds like you're very well positioned to make the move back and have, in fact, checked all the boxes that I would've recommended. The key to making your way back to an old company is leaving the company in the right way in the first place. Leaving a job is really a lot like breaking up with someone; you want to end your relationship on the best terms possible. Often this means offering up a stylized version of the truth (the classic "it's not you, it's me" is a prime example). When you leave, always explain that you're leaving for a higher salary or for a new learning opportunity; never use the word "better," stick with "different." Also make sure that you keep in touch with people at your old job. It's always important to keep a strong network, and especially if you think you might want to return to your job, having friends on the inside is very helpful. Here's the part that's important for you, Heading Back: if you want to Boomerang, make the first move! Contact your friends at the company to see if there are open positions to apply for, but even if there aren't any openings posted, reach out to HR. If you worked there for long enough and they liked you, they might be willing to make some room for you, especially because they won't have to put resources into training you! Remember though, when you leave your current job, do it right; you never know if you'll want to Boomerang back there!
 

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Stephen Viscusi is a bestselling author, television personality, and CEO of The Viscusi Group,
global executive recruiters located in New York.
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